The Running Back
by EchidnaPower
Summary: All-star Running back Ron Stoppable is about to face the biggest challenge of his life. He's got just a few seconds to win the championship for the Middleton Mad Dogs, but more importantly to him, he's got just a few seconds to make his girlfriend proud. My first ever Kim Possible story, so please read and review! KimXRon


**Hey everyone...well, another creative writing assignment turned fanfiction. This time it will be my debut into the Kimmunity as it's called. My first story revolving around Kim Possible. That show was truly a masterpiece as it had a nice touch of seriousness always infused into its slapstick humor and a touch of romance to keep things interesting, particularly in the 4th and final season. This is an interesting approach for a debut I think as it's more about football than anything else, but hopefully you all enjoy it anyway. I own nothing except the story.  
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He felt the divots in the turf underneath his feet, the roar of the crowds in the stands so loud that he could barely hear his quarterback's barks at the line of scrimmage. Taking a second to glance at the clock, he knew that he would only have one chance to accomplish his appointed duty. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as adrenaline flowed through his body in anticipation of the events that would take place in only mere seconds.

Strangely enough, though it would only take seconds for everything to happen, time seemed to flow in slow motion for the young man as his mind raced with all the things he knew he would have to be watchful of. He took one second to glance at the sidelines, the majority of his teammates had their fists clenched and their eyes wide as if expecting something terrible to happen at the last possible moment.

His eyes then moved a little further down the sidelines, and his heart started beating a little faster, he could see that the stakes were much higher than just a championship trophy. He licked his lips in anticipation of accomplishing his ulterior motive, making a good impression in front of a very special individual.

He would've laughed in the face of anyone who would even suggest that he would find himself in his current position. He'd always been somewhat of a slacker, content to just do things at his own pace and at his own leisure, while simultaneously making sure to do _just enough _to get by. Now thanks to a certain redheaded cheerleader/world saver, his whole world had been turned on its head.

They'd always been best friends, ever since Pre-K in fact. Her Type-A, perfectionist, take-charge attitude was always balanced out by his own Type-B, mellow and relaxed way of life. She'd get too high-strung, he'd be there to calm her. He got too far behind in his responsibilities, she would get him motivated...even if that motivation sometimes came in the form of a swift kick in the butt.

He had joined the football team in a vain attempt to keep her as his girlfriend due to a severe misunderstanding that thankfully was quickly resolved, despite major interference from Prof. Dementor taking control of Kim's battlesuit and forcing him to fling her into the Bueno Nacho soda machine. Now that he was on the team though, legit this time, he'd quickly become a star player with his innate ability to dodge defenders as if they were one of their enemies' henchmen, and he never would've done it if not for her.

He saw her wink at him from the sidelines, and his determination grew even stronger. Kim was the reason behind so many of his successes, mainly because he'd wanted to make her proud, and now, more than ever before, he was determined to do so again.

He averted his eyes forward again, and they narrowed as his eyes locked onto what would be his greatest challenge. He saw the grin on the linebacker's face, smug as if he knew he would easily be able to ruin the young blonde's aspirations of glory. His lips upturned into a smirk as he noticed the mistake his opponent was making. He'd learned a lot over the past few months, including how to read an opponent's intentions through body language, and this linebacker clearly had every intention of wanting to crush him.

He rushed up to his quarterback and said something in his ear, his smirk never leaving and he felt a distinct sense of satisfaction as the quarterback nodded at him and starting barking an audible. Quickly backpedaling back to his position, he took one final second to glance at the opposing team's star linebacker. The grin was still there, and he used his finger to pantomime slitting his throat, showing his full intention to bring him down hard. It couldn't have been more perfect.

Moments later he felt leather being shoved into his arms and the noise around him grew even louder, to the point where he could only hear the crunching of bodies as his feet stomped across the turf as quickly as they could. It was a test of endurance, his legs were aching from the previous fifty minutes he'd done, and the rest of his body was even worse as he'd been pounded by his opposition every time he'd touched the ball.

The linebacker was now rushing towards him at full speed, and so he swiftly turned his body 180 degrees and tossed the ball back to the quarterback who immediately caught it and ran to his right.

Ron grinned as he imagined the linebacker's throat tightening and his heart dropping into his stomach as he watched the quarterback rollout to his right and look for an open target. How blind he was! Surely he was now pumping his legs harder to chase after the quarterback instead, and Ron made a mental note to avoid getting beat up in the parking lot as he'd clearly made a fool out of the angry defender.

Ron's smile grew as his plan came to fruition, and he turned and ran up the field at full sprint, getting past everyone in his way with his blazing speed. He turned his head and sure enough the football was flying his way in a perfect spiral, as if a hall-of-fame NFL quarterback had thrown it.

The linebacker watched in horror as the ball flew through the air, its retreating form mocking him as he was reminded of his foolishness. Why had he been so intent on getting another individual achievement? He'd been imagining being handed the championship trophy and being carried off on his teammate's shoulders, instead he could practically feel the agony of the punishment he would have to endure for blowing his assignment.

The young running back caught the deep pass and ran into the endzone just as the clock ticked to zero, and he spread his arms and listened to the crowd roar with joy as he stood still and absorbed the praise he was receiving. The next thing he knew, he was knocked to the ground by his teammates as they all slapped his helmet and shoulder pads and shouted kudos into his ear.

He was hurting to be sure, and being crushed by over one thousand pounds of muscle didn't feel good on his ribcage, but it sure felt good in his heart, not to mention he would soon be feeling a much gentler form of accolades, the kind that made him feel warm on the inside as well as outside. Through a hole in the wall of players, he caught a glimpse of Kim, jumping up and down with glee with her best girl friend Monique Jenkins, and she appeared to be squealing at the top of her lungs.

Just seeing that was more than enough for Ron Stoppable, all-star running back of the Middleton Mad Dogs. Oh sure, it was nice being regarded higher on the infamous "food chain", it was great to be able to cultivate friendships on the team, and of course being hoisted onto his teammates' shoulders as he held the Championship trophy high, that was all well and good.

But seeing Kim beaming with pride, and knowing that pride was aimed directly at him, that was a greater reward than anything he could ever receive from anyone else. He'd completed his mission, the running back had defied all odds and won the game just in the nick of time, and he'd won where it counted most: with his beloved Kim Possible. _"This one's for you Kim."  
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**A/N: So how was it? Admittedly there are a lot of terms here that aren't necessarily non-sports fan friendly, but I think it's reasonably easy to understand. This class is challenging me to show more than tell what's happening, and I hope I did a good job of that. How was my structure? Did I successfully pull off the point of this story? Ron's desire to make Kim proud of him? Tell me how I did everyone, and I hope I made a worthy effort for my entrance into this tight-knit Kimmunity.**


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